Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Get a few microfiber cloths. Almost Everything Autobody recommends them to wash, wax & polish your vehicle. They don't scratch like other cloths.

Folks who are particular about the finish on their cars know that the first time a sponge or towel is used to wash a car, it leaves fine scratches in the paint. Over time, these scratches multiply and cause the car to look dull.

There is no way to avoid this issue completely but microfiber helps a lot. It is high tech stuff. The material is made of super thin, super soft synthetic fibers. It was first developed in the 1950s but it wasn't until 2007 that Rubbermaid introduced the first microfiber cleaning products in the USA. Microfiber holds up to eight times its weight in water, attracts and contains dust and oils and causes minimal scratches to paint. Just be careful to turn the cloth often to prevent grit that accumulates on the cloth from causing scratches to the surface being cleaned. The cloth can be washed & used over & over.

Almost Everything Autobody gave away hundreds of these cloths at the Washington High School Car Show and the Tri-City Motor Rally at Newpark Mall. They proved so popular that we are planning to give one to customers when they pick-up their cars. People have asked where we get ours--we buy in bulk from Maxim Mart.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

This 1989 Chevy Astro Van came to Almost Everything Autobody in need of our expert help.The van was almost completely to bare metal on roof and some of the other panels.We reconditioned the van and epoxy primed it to ensure that this time the paint would not peel again.A fresh coat of our high grade enamel was applied and now the van is ready to hit the streets and go back to work again.

Peeling paint

peeling paint about to rust out when paint
starts peeling put some kind of protect-ant on
to ensure that it does not get any worse

Monday, September 19, 2011

With 90493 miles this Volvo was in need of some new paint due to tree sap and weathering from the sun. (lacquer checking/micro checking)Almost Everything Autobody gave it a full surface reconditioning with our lowest priced enamel paint .The end result was a shinny new Volvo with a one year warranty,A happy customer and his wife not ashamed to drive the car anymore.Come on in to Almost Everything Autobody to get your car spruced up.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

This customer brought their truck to Almost Everything Autobody with the body work done.We can do your car from start to finish or prep and paint. We can accommodate to your needs and your budget to ensure that you are well taken care of and satisfied with choosing Almost Everything Autobody for all your paint needs and desires.

Monday, September 12, 2011

The customer of this 2007 Infiniti G35 came to Almost Everything with a large dent on the rear bumper. Almost Everything was able to repair the bumper instead replacing it and we got this G35 back on the road for half the price.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

THIS 2002 MITSUBISHI MONTERO WAS REPAIRED AT A BODYSHOP THAT HAD NO LICENSE OR PERMITS.TRYING TO SAVE A FEW DOLLARS COST THIS CUSTOMER (BAD BODY WORK,OVERSPRAY ON WINDOW'S,DIRT ON INTERIOR,NEW DENTS ON CAR).CUSTOMER WENT TO CHECK ON CAR AND BODYSHOP OWNER SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE MORE THAT WHAT THE ORIGINAL PRICE WAS!!!! CUSTOMER CAME TOALMOST EVERTHINGFREMONT AND WE FIXED THE POOR REPAIRS AND REPAINTED THE CAR

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR?
IT WAS JUST A SCRATCH!

BAD BODYWORK AND OVERSPRAY

HOW DID MY FENDER GET DENTED?

IS THIS MY CAR?
THANKS FRANK YOU SAVED MY CAR

LOOKS LIKE NEW

AFTER REPAIR AND PAINT

Add caption

ALWAYS ASK FOR LICENSE AND REFERANCES
LOOK AT WORK THAT THEY HAVE COMPLETED FIRST

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The accident didn't seem that bad. . . the plastic bumper bounced back into place and it didn't look like there was much damage.

Sometimes the damage isn't obvious. Be wary when accepting settlement payments from a driver that hits you or their insurance company. Significant damage to the car below was not visible from the outside. The damage to the bumper reinforcement and rear body is a safety concern if the car is hit again from the rear. And the trunk is going to leak in the rain or a car wash.

Bob, our Master Technician, works on
a car with rear end damage

The bumper cover is removed and things still don't look too bad

But when we take off a plastic cover
you can see the big wrinkle in the metal
on the driver's side of the trunk opening

There is a wrinkle at the weather seal on the passenger side too.

The weld on the bumper reinforcement is broken

The bumper reinforcement is crushed and twisted

Almost Everything Autobody repaired all of the damage on this car, replaced the crushed bumper reinforcement and energy absorber and repainted the damage area with factory paint.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Donna Seeley wrote to ask if we offer a "Racer's Special." You bet. We paint lots of local race cars and can match specific race colors & liveries. We provide volume discounts to race clubs as well as to companies, fleets and any organization with multiple vehicles. Give us a call to discuss your needs. You won't find a better deal in Northern California.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

This post is the 2nd in a series on Paint Technologies--What do people mean by single-stage, two-stage & three-stage paint? A previous post discussed single-stage paint. This article describes two-stage paint.

The terms "single-stage, two-stage & three-stage describe different types of auto painting processes. Each "stage" is a step in the process. Think of the stages like the layers of rock in the photo below. Each "stage" is like one of the different color bands in the formation. It is a layer of material:

Two-Stage: It can also be called 2-stage, bi-stage, base-clear, base coat/clear coat, B/C, etc. In this case the 1st of the two stages is the base coat. It contains the colored paint. The 2nd stage is the clear coat--layers of clear paint that go on top of the color paint to provide protection & gloss. So in relation to the rock formation, 2-stage paint is equivalent to two bands of rock stacked together. Auto manufacturers in the USA phased-out single stage paints and transitioned to two-stage or base coat-clear coat paints in 1987.

Any paint is designed to protect the car against damage from sunlight, acid rain, bird droppings and all of the other environmental hazards that your car gets exposed to every day. Reputable shops like Almost Everything Autobody will apply 2-3 coats of base-coat AND 2-3 coats of clear-coat to your vehicle. 2-stage paints cost a little more initially than single-stage paints but are generally a more economical choice when it is important to keep the vehicle looking good, when you want to maintain resale value or you plan to keep the vehicle for more than 3 years because they are easier to maintain, last & look better longer.

Some advantages of 2-stage paints are:

Better UV protection & resistance to fading from sunlight

Easier maintenance with ability to remove scratches that don't penetrate down to the color layer

The process and materials used in 2-stage paints result in a more uniform layer of color that causes metallic paints to be more brilliant. The single-stage process is not capable of achieving the same results and certain colors--especially golds, silvers, champagnes and bronzes--can look dull and grey in single-stage when compared to 2-stage. When color is important, choose 2-stage paint to achieve the right hue & luminosity.

I began to type "disadvantages" but I don't think that the following is really a disadvantage as much as a difference between single-stage and 2-stage paints that may affect the type of paint you choose. When 2-stage paint reaches the end of its useful life, usually 7-14 years after the car was originally built and painted, instead of fading like single-stage paints, the top, clear layer turns cloudy and if not repaired, can start to peel and expose the more fragile color coat and even the metal underneath. We call this delamination. Many customers find failing clear coat ugly and more objectionable than the relatively uniform fading that is found on older-technology single stage paints. It is important to remember that 2-stage paint provides great protection and looks better longer than single-stage paint but, in our opinion, it does fail less gracefully when its time is done.

It is a good idea to get a car re-painted when this delamination starts to happen for a number of reasons--number one being cost. The longer the car goes without new paint, the more damage that happens to the existing paint, the greater the chance for rust and the more work that is required to fix the problem, not to mention, the car becomes embarrassing, looks worn-out and starts to quickly lose value. You should not allow anyone to put new paint on top of delaminating paint. The old, delaminating paint will continue to peel under the new paint and the new paint will quickly peel off just like the old stuff was doing! Don't waste your money on new paint if you don't plan to get the failed paint reconditioned first.

One note of caution, there are cheap paints out there--any of single-stage, two-stage or three-stage can be painted with poor materials that produce lousy results and don't last long. Almost Everything uses only top quality paints from the supplier used on NASA's Space Shuttle, the Golden Gate Bridge and just about every car make & model since the Model T Ford.

We will be posting additional articles that deal with color matching, gloss, texture and "orange peel," wet sanding or color sanding, solids, metallics & pearls. Feel free to drop by our shop if you are near to us and we will be happy to discuss with you.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

What do people mean by single-stage, two-stage & three-stage paint? It's pretty simple. They are different types of auto painting processes. Each "stage" is a step in the process. Think of the stages like the layers of rock in the photo below. Each "stage" is like one of the different color bands in the formation. It is a layer of material:

Single-Stage: It can also be called one-stage or 1-stage. Only one type of paint is used to paint the car. The color is uniform in the paint. So in relation to the rock formation, single-stage paint is equivalent to a single color band of rock.

Single-stage paint is the type used on cars before 1987. After 1987 all manufacturers switched to 2-stage paint. Consider that virtually any house paint, or almost any other type of paint, is a single-stage paint. The single-stage paints available for automotive purposes can be very good stuff. The technology is mature and well understood. Single-stage polyurethanes are available that survive very well against sunlight, acid rain, bird droppings and all of the other environmental hazards that your car gets exposed to every day. Single-stage does NOT mean only one coat of paint. Any reputable shop will apply 2-3 coats of paint to your vehicle. Note that there are also some extremely cheap paints out there--any of single-stage, two-stage or three-stage can be painted with poor materials that produce lousy results and don't last long. Single-stage paints are generally less expensive than 2- or 3-stage paints and can be a great choice for vehicles that you only plan to keep for 1-3 years.

The Lotus Esprit Turbo &

Honda Accord were painted

with single-stage paint by

Almost Everything Autobody

There are some things to consider with single-stage paints. We will be posting additional articles that deal with color matching, gloss, texture and "orange peel," wet sanding or color sanding, solids, metallics, pearls. Feel free to drop by our shop if you are near to us and we will be happy to discuss with you.

One note of caution: color match is more difficult with some golds, silvers and champagne colors in single-stage paints and in general, these colors are not as vibrant as with 2-stage paint. We've seen this issue on vehicles painted with any of the top quality paint manufacturers (DuPont, PPG, Sherwin-Williams). That is a big reason why 2- and 3-stage paints were developed.